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GLOSSARY OF USEFUL INFORMATION

"u.p. meaning "over proof" or "under proof Thus a

spirit containing 60.0 of alcohol, by volume, and another 53.8

would be described as 3.5 o.p. and 3.3 u.p. respectively.

In the U.S.A., what is known as "Proof Spirit" is a spirit

containing 50 per cent, by volume of alcohol at 15.6 degrees C.

(60 degrees F.) (Trailles alcoholometer). Thus 1 per cent, of

Proof Spirit equals 0.46 per cent, of absolute alcohol by weight

and 0.57 per cent, of absolute alcohol by volume.

Stills.

The apparatus used in the distillation of spirits, that is to

separate the alcohol present in any alcoholic liquid from some,

or most of all of water in it. This may be done in two quite

different ways, by Pot Stills, or Patent Stills. In Pot Stills, the

alcohol in the 'mash' is vaporized by the application of heat

and collected by condensation. Patent Stills, which also bear the

name of Coffey Stills, from one .flineas Coffey who perfected

Robert Stein's apparatus, are continuous Stills, in which the

alcohol in the'mash'is gradually, step by step, freed from not

only water but all else, so that in the end one gets a spirit which

is called pure or plain, because there is nothing left in it, other

than ethyl alcohol, of what there was originally in the'mash';

it is free from all impurities, and free also of all taste.

Temperature.

All white wines are better served cool or cold, that is to say,

at the temperature of the ideal white wines cellar, i.e. 48 decrees F.'

and all red wines at the temperature of the ideal red wines cellar',

i.e. 55 degrees F. There is no great harm in cooling white wines'

rather quickly in a frigidaire or ice bucket, if they come from too

warm a cellar, but there is a very grave danger of ruining red

wines past all hope of redress by bringing them up to'a higher

temperature than that of the cold cellar out of which they come.

To put a red wine in front of the fire, or to plunge it into hot water,

'to take the chill off ', is a sin that cannot be forgiven because

there is no atonement for it. If your red wine comes from too

cold a cellar, leave it in the dining-room long enough, and it will

soon acquire the temperature of the room, which is' all that is

desirable. If you cannot leave it long enough in the room, warm

the glass in the hollow of your hands, and you will soon have

the wine at the right temperature.

Ullage.

An ullage means a bottle with a faulty cork which has allowed

some of the wine to escape. An ullaged bottle of Champagne,

provided the loss of wine has not been excessive, may be excellent!

whereas an ullaged bottle of Claret or Burgundy is always flat and

poor. On ullage, refers to a cask of wine which is no longer full

to the bung, a dangerous condition for any wine if so left for any

length of time.

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